By Kieran Loughney Isolation. Lockdown. Seclusion. Words now part of my daily conversation bring me back to a time when these terms had a different context. I return in my mind to a place where another invisible enemy was confronted. A place where there were strict limits on personal freedom and no assurance of a
By Karen Rempel | Fashion Editor It’s amazing to me how quickly New Yorkers adapt. Masks seemed so alien at first, and now we do our patented one-second glance to diss someone for not wearing one… As we enter Phase Two, masks are as essential as ever in high-traffic areas and situations where we can’t
Executive Director, Charles Schleien By Hannah Reimann Our new West Village neighbors on Perry Street, Steve and Alexandra Cohen, have made many philanthropic efforts for their communities, especially towards healthcare including the Cohen COVID 19 Response Initiative, Cohen Lyme & Tick Borne Disease Initiative, plus numerous other programs including an arts initiative. They have been
By Christina Raccuia, MA. ED, LMSW During the three months of dealing with the coronavirus we have had a daily dose of fear, uncertainty, grief, and death—compounded by physical distancing/isolation and economic devastation. These conditions can trigger myriad emotions and it is understandable that most of us are feeling either stressed, anxious, sad and or
There’s Flash Dance. Dirty Dancing. And then there’s CoviDance. By Mia Berman Maybe I’m not as agile as Ginger Rogers. I admit it. I never partnered with Fred Astaire or Baryshnikov. And maybe I didn’t have the moves of Shakira. But what I did have was an idea. When the Covid pandemic hit, I began
By Jennifer Brozost Throughout this pandemic—this time of fear, uncertainty and frustration—I have been scared. Scared of what the future holds, scared of getting sick, and scared to leave my house to get groceries to feed my family. At the start of the shutdown I went to the supermarket and had a complete panic attack
In response to an inquiry from WestView News about unruly crowds at the White Horse Tavern, owner Eytan Sugarman responds: Hi George, Hope things are going well with you despite all that’s not going well in the world. Regarding White Horse, we were very overrun this weekend and frankly unprepared for the influx of traffic.
By Dale Atkins Our lives have been turned upside down by the coronavirus. Emotional responses include fear, sadness, grief, anxiety, anger, loneliness, and worry. Previously unnoticed or ignored feelings that allowed for “normal” life-coping strategies may help us grow and become “comfortable” with what is unfamiliar, uncertain, and scary. Physical confinement can ignite feelings of restriction
My Plague Doctor mask finally came. Now I’m really ready to face the pandemic. This is actually a real thing. During European plagues of the Middle Ages, there was a person in town in charge of inspections and caring for victims. The long nose was filled with flowers and sweet herbs. The cause of plague
By Nathan Manske, Executive Director, I’m From Driftwood “You are not alone.” It’s a message that resonates with everyone, and it’s the message I’m From Driftwood, through the power of storytelling, has been sending to LGBTQ people for 11 years. Now, while the feeling of isolation is skyrocketing and revenue from fundraisers is plummeting, I’m
By Alec Pruchnicki First, the virus came for the Chinese, but I did nothing because I wasn’t Chinese. Then it came for the New Yorkers, but I did nothing because I wasn’t a New Yorker. Then it came for the nursing home residents, but I did nothing because I wasn’t a nursing home resident. Then
By Dennis Bogusz Education reformer Horace Mann once said that education “is an organic necessity of a human being.” As a teacher at the school that bears his name, I suspect Mann would marvel at our ingenuity and adaptability to teaching in the time of coronavirus. Since the shutdown, teachers have quickly moved classrooms online,
By Birgitte Philippides-Delaney and Chandra/Jo Sgammato As the pandemic crisis continues, the West 13th Street Alliance also continues to provide support for our neighbors and for residents throughout the city and state through Virtual Community Events. This month, we are bringing back two popular events that attracted more than 50 people in May and offering
By Penny Arcade As I am someone who lived through the cruelest years of the AIDS epidemic, younger people often ask me, “Was it like this? COVID-19? Like the AIDS epidemic, the early years?” The short answer is no. Because AIDS was hands-on and COVID-19 is hands off. We took care of our dying friends,
By Joyce Appelman When our local government ordered a shutdown of all in-room dining at restaurants to stop the spread of COVID-19, our chefs, restaurants and foodservice colleagues rose to the challenge by shifting to take-out and delivery and mostly feeding first responders and food-insecure New Yorkers. Many chefs are finding ways to give back
By Brian J. Pape, AIA, LEED-AP Ever since the pandemic created stay-at-home recommendations and closed shops, theaters, gyms and restaurants, looking for recreation can become very limited and boring. Discovering bicycle rides, with full protective gear, turns out to be fully compliant with social-distancing guidelines: I go for long stretches speaking to no one, touching
By Matt Razon Before I get to telling you all about my experience as a frontliner in the fight against COVID-19, let me tell you a little about myself. I am a Physician Assistant and have been practicing in Emergency Medicine for almost 20 years. I currently work in several locations. I work in a
By Timothy Stahl Coach Tim, CHHC, AADP, HIVegan HIV/AIDS, once an obvious killer, is now quiet and subtler. I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of hearing about PrEP, viral suppression, meds, doctors, etc. After all, we’re adults and should have the basics under control. That’s where I come in as your life, health
By Anthony Paradiso On Mar. 9, New York University moved all of its classes to remote learning and on Mar. 13 NYU officially closed its campus buildings due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the graduate student workers, who help teach classes as teaching assistants at NYU have lost their jobs
By Stanley Wlodyka Jiménez “Everything is going to change because of this pandemic. Everything about life as we know it is going to change. Nothing is going to be the same. It will be a sharper break than many people realize from the life that was familiar to us a few months ago,” said 2018
By Alec Pruchnicki There are numerous accounts of COVID infecting and killing more people of color (African-Americans and Hispanics) than whites in New York and other cities. This has come from health statistics, government agencies, and investigative reports on TV and in newspapers. There is one more strong source of evidence that I have noticed:
Compiled by Hannah Reimann and Caroline Benveniste Partial Listing of Open Businesses Homebound and Elderly City Harvest For hungry New Yorkers including the unemployed (646) 412-0600 Citymeals on Wheels (212) 687-1234 God’s Love We Deliver (212) 294-8100 Invisible Hands Deliver For at-risk community members facing COVID-19 (732) 639-1579 For Doctors
